Hand held multibarrel automatic weapon

ABSTRACT

A multi-barrel automatic weapon of the Gatling type wherein there is a single firing pin mechanism activated by a cam and a cam follower for sequentially firing all of the ammunition in a plurality of barrels. The barrels and cam being directly driven by a drive shaft connected directly to an electric motor. The electric motor being powered by a small, low voltage, rechargeable battery.

BACKGROUND

The classic revolving battery gun is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 125,563 issued to Richard J. Gatling on Apr. 9, 1872. This gun had a stationary housing and a rotor assembly journaled within the housing having 10 barrels and 10 reciprocating bolts. The bolts were cam activated by the rotation of the rotor assembly. The gun fired cased ammunition which was chambered, fired and ejected by the bolt assembly. The first modern version of the Gatling gun is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,849,921 issued to Harold McC Otto on Sep. 2, 1958. A more recent version is shown in U. S. Pat. No. 3,380,343 issued to Robert E. Chiabrandy et al. on Apr. 30, 1968.

An electric drive system for rotating the cluster of barrels was shown by R. J. Gatling in U.S. Pat. No. 502,185 issued Jul. 25, 1893 as an alternative to the then conventional hand crank. An improvement to the electric motor type revolving battery gun is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,303 issued to James A. Kleptz on May 31, 1983 wherein he discloses a D. C. motor system for a Gatling gun. Each of these modern guns is similar to the original gun in having a plurality of barrels, chambers and bolts to shoot cased or uncased ammunition.

The object of this invention is to provide an electrical drive system for a Gatling type gun which will:

1. Be of light weight such that one person can carry and operate the weapon;

2. Provide a high rate of fire; and

3. Be driven by a low voltage rechargeable D. C. battery.

A further object of this invention is to utilize only a single firing pin mechanism for a plurality of barrels, thereby reducing weight, simplifying construction and improving reliability of the weapon.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages, characteristics and particulars of the invention will become apparent from the explanatory description which will follow made with reference to the appended drawings, given merely by way of illustration and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective external view of the weapon embodying the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the weapon without its external housing,

FIG. 3 is a planar view of the combined firing pin and cam follower,

FIG. 4 is a front planar view of the cam,

FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the cam taken generally at section A-A of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a planar view of the low voltage rechargeable battery, and

FIG. 7 is a planer view of the firing pin mechanism and cam.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A perspective external view of the weapon embodying this invention is shown in FIG. 1. There are a plurality of barrels 1 held in a fixed relationship to each other by barrel support rings 2, 3 and 4. There is a center drive shaft 5 that is attached to the center of the barrel support rings 2, 3 and 4. There is a forward support grip 6 and the rear support grip 7 which includes a triggering mechanism 8. The support grips 6 and 7 are fixedly attached to the gun housing 9. A low voltage rechargeable battery 10 is attached at the rear of the gun housing 9. Also shown in FIG. 1 is the spent cartridge shell ejection opening 11.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the weapon without the weapon gun housing 9. As can be seen in this view, each of the barrels 1 has a portion of the barrel cut away 12 to receive a round of ammunition. The drive shaft 5 extends past the cut away portion of the barrels 12 and is attached to an electric motor 13. The electric motor 13 is connected to the battery 10 and the triggering mechanism 8 (the connections are not shown). Mounted onto the drive shaft 5 is a cam 15 that interacts with the firing pin mechanism 14.

FIG. 3 is a planar view of the combined firing pin and cam follower 16. The combined firing pin and cam follower has a base 19 to which is fixedly attached a firing pin 17, a cam follower 18 and a retaining clip 20.

FIG. 4 is a front planar view of the cam 15 and FIG. 5 depicts a cutaway view of the cam 15 taken generally at section A-A of FIG. 4. In both FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the cam cusps 21 and valleys 22 are depicted. FIG. 6 is a planar side view of the low voltage rechargeable battery 10. Although FIG. 4 depicts eight cusps 21 and eight valleys 22, there could be any number of cusps 21 and valleys 22 depending upon the number of barrels 1 employed.

FIG. 7 shows a cutaway view of the firing pin mechanism 14 in its furthest compressed position. The firing pin mechanism 14 consists of a firing pin housing 23, the firing pin 17, the cam follower 18, a firing pin and cam follower base 19, a firing pin spring 24 and the retainer clip 20. The firing pin 17 and the cam follower 18 are fixedly attached to the base 19. In operation, when the triggering mechanism 8 is depressed, an electrical switch is made that causes the motor 13 to rotate, powered by the battery 10. As the motor 13 rotates it turns the drive shaft 5 which in turn rotates the barrels 1 and the cam 15. As the cam 15 rotates the cam follower 18 and the firing pin 17 move backwards and compresses the spring 19 surrounding the firing pin base 19. As the cam follower 18 passes one of the cusps 21 on the cam 15 and falls into a cam valley 22, the cam follower 18 and the firing pin 17 are thrust forward by the compressed spring 24 thereby firing the ammunition (not shown).

The cam 15 has the same number of cusps and valleys as there are barrels 1. As both the cam 15 and the barrels 1 are fixed to the drive shaft 5, the firing pin 17 is always in alignment with the ammunition ready to be fired. Furthermore, since the drive shaft 5 is directly connected to the motor 13, there are no gears required to rotate the drive shaft 5 thereby reducing weight and complexity of existing Gatling type guns. 

1. A multi-barreled weapon for firing cased or caseless ammunition that is powered by a low voltage rechargeable battery.
 2. The multi-barreled weapon as defined in claim 1 wherein the said weapon comprises; a. the said plurality of barrels fixedly mounted to a central drive shaft; b. said central drive shaft attached directly to the shaft of a low voltage electrical motor; c. said electrical motor operably connected to a triggering mechanism and to the said low voltage rechargeable battery.
 3. The multi-barreled weapon as defined in of any one of claims 1 or 2 wherein there is a single firing mechanism that sequentially fires each of the munitions in the said multiple barrels, said firing mechanism comprising; a. multi-lobed cam fixedly attached to the said drive shaft wherein the said cam has the same number of cusps and valleys as there are number of said barrels; b. a fixed firing pin housing containing; i. a common base for the firing pin and the cam follower; ii. a spring around the said common base; and iii. a retainer clip to hold the said spring and the said common base in the said firing pin housing that allows the said firing pin, said cam follower and said common base to move linearly and compress or expand the said spring when the said cam follower follows the said cusps and valleys on the said cam during rotation of the said barrels, said drive shaft and said cam.
 4. A hand held means for firing projectiles at a high rate of occurrences per second comprising; a. a means for loading cased or caseless munitions quickly into a multiple barreled weapon; b. a means for rotating the multiple barrels at a high rate of speed; c. a single means for activating the said munitions in the said multiple barrels sequentially; and d. a means for ejecting the spend munitions case of cased munitions.
 5. The hand held means as defined in claim 4, wherein the said means for rotating the said multiple barrels comprises a low voltage electrical motor that is powered by a low voltage rechargeable battery that is activated via a triggering means, said electrical motor being directly attached to a drive shaft, said drive shaft being fixedly attached to the said multiple barrels, the said multiple barrels be arranged radially from the said drive shaft.
 6. The hand held means as defined in any one of claims 4 or 5 wherein the means for activating the said munitions comprises; a. a multi-lobed cam fixedly attached to the said drive shaft; b. a combined spring loaded cam follower and firing pin partially contained in a firing pin housing that is fixedly attached to the said hand held means wherein said cam follower follows the cusps and valleys of the said cam causing the said firing pin to move linearly back and forth in rapid succession striking the said munitions in the said rotating barrels. 